Support column installation assembly

ABSTRACT

A support column cylinder assembly is provided for use with a support column assembly having upper and lower support tubes and a slidable clamp component for frictionally clamping the upper support tube relative to the lower support tube. Some embodiments of support column cylinder assembly comprise a first bearing member, a second bearing member, and at least two hydraulic cylinders operatively connected between the first and second bearing members, the at least two hydraulic cylinders being operative to apply a force to the second bearing member relative to the first bearing member. The second bearing member is adapted to be positioned against a clamp component of a support column for applying a force to the support column clamp component relative to the first bearing member.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. Nos. 60/660,576, 60/660,577, and 60/660,578, all filed on Mar. 10, 2005, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for setting an adjustable vertical support column assembly in place, to support a roof or other structure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Support columns are often used to counteract the force that gravity exerts on a mass supported by a roof or other overhead structure. Support columns may also be positioned between two vertical objects under load to keep the objects spaced apart from each other. In underground mining, for example, support columns are used as supports for mine roofs. These support columns are generally positioned perpendicularly between the mine floor and the mine roof. The required length of the support column assembly will accordingly vary with respect to the height of the mine roof to be supported. Fabricating support columns of varying lengths can be costly, and trimming or adjusting the length of columns during installation can be time consuming. Setting the support column in place can also involve considerable effort and heavy equipment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Various embodiments of a support column cylinder assembly provide for setting a clamp assembly on a support column in place. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, some embodiments of a support column cylinder assembly are provided for use with a support column assembly having upper and lower support tubes and a slidable clamp component for frictionally clamping the upper support tube relative to the lower support tube. Some embodiments of support column cylinder assembly comprise a first bearing member, a second bearing member, and at least two hydraulic cylinders operatively connected between the first and second bearing members, the at least two hydraulic cylinders being operative to apply a force between the first and second bearing members. The second bearing member is adapted to be positioned against a clamp component of a support column, for applying a force to the clamp component to clamp the support column assembly. In some embodiments, the second bearing member may comprise first and second spaced apart plates that are adapted to be removably assembled around a support column tube, such that the first and second plates are centered around the support column tube to apply a force to the support column component that is substantially in line with the support column tube. The lower bearing member is adapted to be positioned against a base plate of a support column, and the upper bearing member is adapted to be positioned against a cylindrical clamp component, such that the at least two hydraulic cylinders can apply a force against the cylindrical clamp component relative to the support column base plate. The force applied by the at least two hydraulic cylinders causes the clamp component to move, which produces a frictional force in opposition to the cylinder force resulting from the compression of the clamp component against the upper and lower support tubes. The effect of the frictional force results in only a percentage of the full force of the at least two hydraulic cylinders being transferred to the two spaced apart surfaces being supported.

In another aspect of the present invention, one embodiment of a method for using the hydraulic cylinder assembly for setting a clamp component on a support column in place is provided. The method comprises positioning the first bearing assembly against a support column base plate, positioning the second bearing assembly against a clamp component on the support column, and supplying a sufficient hydraulic pressure to the at least two hydraulic cylinders to apply an effective amount of force to the clamp component to press the clamp component in place on the support column.

Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of one embodiment of a hydraulic cylinder assembly positioned in place around a vertical support column in accordance with the principles of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is an orthogonal projection of one embodiment of a hydraulic cylinder assembly in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

One embodiment of a hydraulic cylinder assembly for use in setting a clamp component in place on a vertical support column is shown generally as 20 in FIG. 1. The hydraulic cylinder assembly 50 comprises a first bearing member 52, a second bearing member 58, and at least two hydraulic cylinders 54 operatively connected between the first and second bearing members 52 and 58, the at least two hydraulic cylinders 54 being operative to apply a force to the second bearing member 58 relative to the first bearing member 52. The second bearing member 58 is adapted to be positioned against a clamp component 30 of a support column assembly for applying a force to the clamp component 30 to set the support column in place. The support column assembly shown in FIG. 1 comprises a base plate 22 having a lower support tube 24 extending perpendicularly from the base plate 22. The lower support tube 24 is slidably disposed within the clamp component 30 and an upper support tube 26, which extends perpendicularly from a bearing plate 28. The clamp component 30 in this embodiment is generally a tapered cylindrical collet adapted to be received within an opening of the upper support tube 26. When the tapered collet 30 is pressed into the upper support tube 26, the collet is compressed against the lower support tube 24 to frictionally grip the lower support tube 24 and effectively clamp the lower support tube 24 relative to the upper support tube 26. An example of this embodiment of a support column, as well as other embodiments of a support column assembly having a clamp component, are disclosed in co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Applications entitled “Support Column Assembly” and “Support Column Collet Assembly”, which were filed on Feb. 25, 2005 and are incorporated herein by reference.

One embodiment of a support column hydraulic cylinder assembly 20 for use with a support column having upper and lower support tubes 24 and 26 and a slidable clamp component 30 is shown in FIG. 1. The hydraulic cylinder assembly 20 is preferably configured to press the slidable clamp component 30 to frictionally secure the upper support tube 26 relative to the lower support tube 24. In this embodiment, the hydraulic cylinder assembly 20 comprises an upper bearing assembly 58 for distributing an applied force to a clamp component 30 of a support column assembly, a lower bearing assembly 52 for distributing an applied force to a support column base plate 22, a hydraulic pump (not shown) for supplying a working hydraulic fluid pressure to the at least two hydraulic cylinders 54, and at least two hydraulic cylinders 54 operatively connected to the upper and lower bearing assemblies 52 and 58. The hydraulic cylinders 54 are configured to apply an effective amount of force between the upper and lower bearing assemblies 52 and 58 for movably pressing the clamp component 30 in place between the upper and lower support tubes 24 and 26. The effective amount of force may be provided when a hydraulic fluid pressure is supplied to the at least two hydraulic cylinders 54, where the effective amount of force for movably pressing the clamp component 30 in place on this support column embodiment is in the range of about 40,000 to 75,000 pounds.

The upper bearing assembly in this embodiment preferably comprises first and second spaced apart plates 58 a and 58 b that are adapted to be removably assembled around a support column tube 26, such that the first and second plates 58 a and 58 b are centered around the support cylinder tube 26 to allow the force applied to the support column clamp component 30 to be substantially aligned with the support column tube 26. Specifically, plates 58 a and 58 b are fastened by bolts 60, which may be removed to disassemble and position the first and second plates 58 a and 58 b around a support column tube 26. The edges of the first and second plates 58 a and 58 b may be positioned under and adjacent to the cylindrical clamp or collet component 30, such that the hydraulic cylinder force may be applied by the plates 58 a and 58 b to the clamp component 30 to press the clamp into place. The lower bearing assembly 52 of the support column hydraulic cylinder assembly is adapted to be positioned against a support column base plate 22, such that the hydraulic cylinders 54 may apply a force against the cylindrical clamp component 30 relative to the support column base plate 22. The support column assembly shown in FIG. 1 is preferably positioned between two opposing spaced apart surfaces to be supported by the support column assembly, such as a generally horizontal floor surface and a generally horizontal roof surface in a mine, for example.

The force applied by the at least two hydraulic cylinders 54 to the clamp component 30 produces an opposing frictional force resulting from the compression of the clamp component 30 between the upper and lower support tubes 24 and 26, such that the force transferred to the surfaces to be supported is minimized. The force applied by the at least two hydraulic cylinders 54 causes the clamp component 30 to move, which produces a frictional force in opposition to the hydraulic force that results from the compression of the clamp component between the upper and lower support tubes. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the clamp component 30 is preferably a collet having at least two slots. When the collet is pressed within the opening in the end of the upper support tube 26, the tapered end of the collet deflects and is compressed by the upper support tube 26. The collet 30 also concurrently compresses the lower support tube 24. The movement of the collet 30 within the upper support tube 26 compresses the collet 30 against the lower support tube 24, which produces a frictional force along the inner surface of the upper support tube 26 and the outer surface of the lower support tube 24. The hydraulic force applied to the collet 30 is counter-acted by the frictional force resulting from the normal forces that compress the collet 30. This minimizes any forces transferred to surfaces to be supported by the support column. In one example, the forces applied by the embodiment of a hydraulic cylinder assembly shown in FIG. 1 for movably pressing the clamp component 30 in place was in the range of about 40,000 to 75,000 pounds.

Referring to FIG. 2, the support column hydraulic cylinder assembly comprises a pivotal connection at each end of the at least two hydraulic cylinders 54. Each end of the at least two hydraulic cylinders comprise a pivotal connection means such as a rod eye or a rod end clevis. Likewise, the upper and lower bearing assemblies 52 and 58 are preferably connected to the ends of the at least two hydraulic cylinders 54 by a pivot pin and a pivotal connection means such as an eye bracket or a clevis bracket. Thus, the hydraulic cylinders 54 are operatively connected to the upper and lower bearing assemblies 52 and 58 to apply a force that is distributed by the upper and lower bearing assemblies 52 and 58 to the corresponding support column components.

The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention. 

1. A hydraulic cylinder assembly for installing a roof support of the type in which relative axial movement of clamp member secures first and second telescoping tubular supports, the hydraulic cylinder assembly comprising: a first bearing member adapted to engage one of the tubular supports; a second bearing member adapted to engage the clamp member; and at least one hydraulic cylinder operatively connected between the first and second bearing members, the at least one hydraulic cylinder being operative to apply a force to the second bearing member relative to the first bearing member, wherein the second bearing member is adapted to be positioned against a clamp member of a support column for applying a force to the support column clamp component to axially move the clamp member to engage the first and second telescoping tubular supports.
 2. The hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 1, wherein there are at least two cylinders.
 3. The hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 2, wherein the second bearing member comprises first and second spaced apart plates that are adapted to be removably assembled around a support column tube such that the first and second plates are centered around the support column tube to apply a force to the clamp member that is substantially in line with the support column tube.
 4. The hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 3, wherein the support column component is a collet for a support column assembly.
 5. The hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 3 wherein the hydraulic cylinder assembly is adapted for use with a support column in which at least one of the tubes includes a bearing plate, the first bearing member being adapted to be positioned between a support column base plate and the support column clamp member for applying a force to the clamp member relative to the support column base plate.
 6. The hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 5, wherein each end of the at least two hydraulic cylinders comprises a pivotal connection means selected from the group consisting of a rod eye and a rod end clevis.
 7. The hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 6, wherein the first and second bearing members are operatively connected to the ends of the at least two hydraulic cylinders by a pivot pin and a pivotal connection means selected from the group consisting of an eye bracket or a clevis bracket.
 8. The hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 5, wherein the first bearing member comprises first and second spaced apart plates that are adapted to be removably assembled around a support column tube, such that the first and second plates are centered around the support cylinder tube to apply a force to the support column base plate that is substantially aligned with the support column tube.
 9. A support column hydraulic cylinder assembly for use with a support column having upper and lower support tubes and a slidable clamp component for frictionally clamping the upper support tube relative to the lower support tube, the support column cylinder assembly comprising: an upper bearing assembly for distributing an applied force to a clamp component of a support column assembly; a lower bearing assembly for distributing an applied force to a support column base plate; a hydraulic pump for supplying hydraulic fluid pressure; and at least two hydraulic cylinder s operatively connected to the upper and lower bearing assemblies and configured to apply an effective amount of force between the upper and lower bearing assemblies for movably pressing the clamp component in place on a support column assembly when a hydraulic fluid pressure is supplied to the at least two hydraulic cylinders.
 10. The support column hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 9 wherein the upper bearing assembly comprises first and second plates are adapted to be removably assembled around a support column tube such that the first and second plates are centered around the support cylinder tube to apply a force to a support column base plate that is substantially aligned with the support column tube.
 11. The support column hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 10, wherein the lower bearing assembly is adapted to be positioned against a support column base plate and the upper bearing assembly is adapted to be positioned against a cylindrical clamp component, for applying a force against the cylindrical clamp component relative to the support column base plate.
 12. The support column hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 11 wherein the support column assembly is positioned between two opposing spaced apart surfaces to be supported by the support column assembly.
 13. The support column hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 12 wherein the force applied by the at least two hydraulic cylinders to the clamp component produces an opposing frictional force resulting from the compression of the clamp component against the upper and lower support tubes, such that the force transferred to the surfaces to be supported is minimized.
 14. The support column hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 13 wherein the effective amount of force for movably pressing the clamp component in place on a support column assembly is between about 40,000 and about 75,000 pounds.
 15. The support column hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 10 wherein each end of the at least two hydraulic cylinders comprise a pivotal connection means selected from the group consisting of a rod eye and a rod end clevis.
 16. The support column cylinder assembly of claim 15 wherein the upper and lower bearing assemblies are operatively connected to the ends of the at least two hydraulic cylinders by a pivot pin and a pivotal connection means selected from the group consisting of an eye bracket or a clevis bracket.
 17. A method of using a hydraulic cylinder assembly having first and second bearing members and at least two hydraulic cylinders pivotally connected between the first and second bearing members, for pressing a support column clamp component in place on a support column, the method comprising: positioning the first bearing assembly against a support column base plate; positioning the second bearing assembly against a clamp component on the support column; and supplying a sufficient hydraulic pressure to the at least two hydraulic cylinders to apply an effective amount of force to the clamp component to press the clamp component in place on the support column.
 18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of assembling a first and second plate of the second bearing assembly around a support column tube to center the second bearing assembly around the support tube in position against the clamp component.
 19. The method of claim 18 wherein the clamp component is a collet.
 20. A method of setting a telescoping support column comprising first and second telescoping support tubes that are secured by the axial movement of at least one clamp member, the method comprising engaging one end of a hydraulically actuated device to one of the first and second support columns, engaging the other end of the hydraulically actuated device to the clamp member, and operating the hydraulically actuated device to axially move the clamp member to secure the first and second support tubes.
 21. The method of claim 20 wherein there is a bearing plate on at least one of the support tubes, and wherein the hydraulically actuated device engages the bearing plate. 